THE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ROLE OF GRATITUDE IN FAMILY MEMBERS OF PEOPLE WITH EARLY-STAGE ALZHEIMER’S

Abstract The interest in and scientific understanding of the multifaceted construct of gratitude has grown in recent years. However, research on the role gratitude plays in the lives of family members of persons with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease is limited. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to uncover the ways gratitude is experienced and expressed in family members of persons with early-stage Alzheimer’s. Interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative methodology, was employed to analyze the narratives of 27 family members. Expressions of gratitude were universal in the study but varied in the dispositional gratitude factors of frequency, intensity, span, and density. Relational conceptions of gratitude were expressed across three subthemes: (1) intrapersonal (e.g., family member grateful for how their own personal strengths and resources had aided them and allowed for growth while caring for their loved one with early-stage Alzheimer’s; family member grateful for the individual strengths their family member with early-stage Alzheimer’s had retained); (2) interpersonal (e.g., family member expressed gratitude for people who had positively influenced them such as prior role models for giving care to a person with Alzheimer’s and people who had shown the family compassion); and 3) transpersonal (e.g., gratitude for God or a divine entity or force that was deemed benevolent and helpful when it came to the experience of living with Alzheimer’s). Findings indicate that professionals should attend to gratitude in family members of persons with Alzheimer’s and leverage this multifaceted resource to improve health and well-being.


Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, United States
Falls impact 25% of older adults 65+ annually (Bergen et al., 2016) with 1 in 5 falls resulting in trauma (CDC, 2020).Standing yoga can reduce falls by 48% (Hamrick et al., 2017), but some older adults cannot participate in these poses/inversions due to pain, lack of balance, and endurance.Seated yoga can reduce pain, fear of falling, mobility, and balance ( Yao & Tseng, 2019).Ong et al. (2021) found that falls education improves intention to engage in prevention.Although CDC (2022) suggests multi-modal interventions , no known research compares a combination of falls prevention education and seated yoga intervention with an educationonly control group.This controlled study compared fifteen older adults living in HUD housing who received both an 8-week "Get Fit While You Sit" seated yoga (LVSY, 2021) and falls prevention education to those who only received falls prevention education.Physical testing (Timed Up and Go (TUG), chair stand test, 4-point balance test) and attitude/participation measures were measured in both groups.Wilcoxon signed rank and Kruskal-Wallis were used to compare pre-to-post and between groups.Results suggest that the multi-modal intervention (combined education and chair yoga) resulted in improvements in TUG and chair stand test but other measures (e.g.self-efficacy for falls) did not change over time.The education-alone group did not improve over time.Between groups, a sig.difference was found in TUG and Chair stand.More research is needed but older adults in LTC settings may benefit from combining seated yoga with prevention education.

THE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ROLE OF GRATITUDE IN FAMILY MEMBERS OF PEOPLE WITH EARLY-STAGE ALZHEIMER'S Jocelyn McGee, Davie Morgan, and Rebecca Meraz, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States
The interest in and scientific understanding of the multifaceted construct of gratitude has grown in recent years.However, research on the role gratitude plays in the lives of family members of persons with early-stage Alzheimer's disease is limited.The purpose of this study, therefore, was to uncover the ways gratitude is experienced and expressed in family members of persons with early-stage Alzheimer's.Interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative methodology, was employed to analyze the narratives of 27 family members.Expressions of gratitude were universal in the study but varied in the dispositional gratitude factors of frequency, intensity, span, and density.Relational conceptions of gratitude were expressed across three subthemes: (1) intrapersonal (e.g., family member grateful for how their own personal strengths and resources had aided them and allowed for growth while caring for their loved one with earlystage Alzheimer's; family member grateful for the individual strengths their family member with early-stage Alzheimer's had retained); (2) interpersonal (e.g., family member expressed gratitude for people who had positively influenced them such as prior role models for giving care to a person with Alzheimer's and people who had shown the family compassion); and 3) transpersonal (e.g., gratitude for God or a divine entity or force that was deemed benevolent and helpful when it came to the experience of living with Alzheimer's).Findings indicate that professionals should attend to gratitude in family members of persons with Alzheimer's and leverage this multifaceted resource to improve health and well-being.

LATE BREAKING: COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH APPROACHES I
Abstract citation ID: igad104.3752

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION OF OLDER ADULTS AT POLITICAL RALLIES AS A SOURCE OF RESILIENCE: THE CASE OF THE ISRAELI PROTEST
Boaz Ben-David 1 , Ortal Shimon-Raz 1 , Yuval Palgi 2 , lia Ring 3 , and Tchelet Bresslet 1 , 1. Reichman University,Herzliya,Tel Aviv,Israel,2. University of Haifa,Haifa,Hefa,Israel,3. Ashkelon Academic College,Ashkelon,HaDarom,Israel The governing Israeli coalition suggested on Dec 2022 a reform plan that would fundamentally alter the system of checks and balances within Israeli society.According to law experts, the plan would effectively end liberal democracy in Israel.This turn of events sparked the largest protest movement in the 75year history of Israel.The current situation is unparalleled, and the mental health costs appear to be significant.However, the toll on older adults has not been directly examined yet.The breadth of the protest movement is remarkable.A July 2023 poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute estimated that almost a quarter of Israeli citizens had participated at a protest action at least once.It was primarily through participation at large rallies held weekly across the country -one of the main symbols of the protest movement.Interestingly, the survey reported a 37% participation rate among older adults, the highesy participation rate among all tested age groups.Since older Israelis are members of the founding generation of the state, their participation is not surprising.They feel threatened as their way of life and heritage are at risk.In the current study, we conducted a survey that examined mental health indices among older Israelis.Specifically, we wanted to test whether active participation at the protest could serve as a source for resilience in older age.Unfortunately, political turmoil is not unique to Israel.Thus, we hope that our findings could assist practitioners globally.

ADJUSTING TECHNOLOGY FOR AN AGEING POPULATION: CO-PRODUCING TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS WITH OLDER ADULTS.
Deborah Morgan 1 , Hannah R. Marston 2 , Carol Maddock 1 , Aelwyn Williams 1 , Gemma Wilson-Menzfeld 3 , Elizabeth Jones 1 , and Jessica Gates 3 , 1. Swansea University,Swansea,Wales,United Kingdom,2. Open University,Milton Keynes,England,United Kingdom,3. Northumbria University,Newcastle,England,United Kingdom Since the onset of Covid 19, there has been a shift towards moving essential services online.This has the potential to further exclude sub-sections of the population from accessing